A world of aural innovation and invention , 21 Nov 2008
Okay I'll get it out of the way early. Without doubt the most famous piece of music to emanate from the BBC,s Radiophonic workshop is the theme tune to Dr Who ( I still have this on 7" vinyl )- a serious contender for the best TV theme tune ever written ( now there's a debate) .It still sounds brilliant to this day , quirky , slightly spooky and alien yet memorable and quite catchy . Its on here in it's original form ( the new Dr Who theme has been updated with portentous strings ). It is however only a smidgeon of the output from the revered workshop .
This is a chronologically ordered compilation covering the output of the workshop from 1958 to 1997 before some dunderhead at the BBC( John Birt in a move that meant every BBC department that couldn't cover its costs had to be axed. The workshop was given five years to break even but due to it's high running costs- it needed engineers as well as composers - failed) decided to terminate( or exterminate it to use a more apt parlance) it so they could pay Chris Moyle's his inflated salary or some other such buffoonery . The double-disc collection is produced by Mark Ayres, surely the world's leading authority on the Radiophonic Workshop, having been a BBC composer and eventual archivist for the now sadly defunct department.
The earlier material from the likes of Delia Derbyshire is truly startling , almost avant garde in it's scope and compositional wizardry . "Talk Out" from 1964 is an extraordinary perspicacious piece of rhythmic music that even today might raise an eyebrow or two. I was especially pleased at the inclusion of Desmond Briscoe's music for the superb "Quatermass And The Pit [1967]" which still sounds eerie sinister and insidiously extraterrestrial.
As the years wore on the workshop came to rely more on standard electronic equipment and lost a little of it's singular sonic inventiveness.. The particular resourcefulness that saw people like Delia Derbyshire and Daphne Oram manipulate tapes and record strange natural or environmental sounds is sacrificed for a more sober less ingenious approach Some of the later material is a little rote and one or two are truly awful but others like the theme From Demon Headmaster, The - Look Into My Eyes and the stuff from "Blake's 7 - Series 1 - Complete [1978] " "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy [1981] " and Salem's Lot" not to mention the abbreviated little soundcsapes from programmes such as "The BBC Natural World Collection" and The Living Planet [1983] " are truly evocative .Miniature aural nuggets of magic.
Back to Dr Who then. The sound of the Tardis de-materialising or indeed materialising ( included here) was made by Brian Hodgson running his keys along the rusty bass strings of a broken piano, with the recording slowed down to make an even lower sound. Genius. No surprise then to learn that George Martin ,another technical studio whiz assisted Maddalena Fagandini with "Time Beat" which is also included here.
How many artists have been influenced by the Work Of The Radiophonic workshop? ....Well I don't know ..who do you think I am? Yet I'm willing to bet my Friday lunchtime treat that a great many influential innovative artists around today owe something to the work of a collection of what were in effect boffins and producers.


About time!, 08 Nov 2008
This is a brilliant album, and long, long overdue. It showcases the work of the much-missed BBC Radiophonic Workshop between 1958 and 1997, including music from "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy", Radio 4's "PM" news programme, "The Demon Headmaster", the BBC's Natural World programmes and many others. I was particularly pleased to see the inclusion of Peter Howell's "The Astronauts".

Most of the album is essentially a CD re-issue of two BBC Radiophonic Workshop LPs: "21" and "Soundhouse", released in 1979 and 1983, but also contains some gems that have never before been released.

Of course, the collection contains perhaps the workshop's most famous recording - the theme from Dr Who, and the Tardis sound effect.

Along with the two recent CD collections of music by John Baker, this is a much welcomed addition to the slowly growing collection of music by the workshop issued on CD. It's taken an unbelievably long time, but at last, the full scope of the Radiophonic Workshop's composers' work is gradually getting the recognition it so richly deserves.

Sadly, as the progress in technology marched on, the BBC, in its "wisdom", decided that it could buy mass-produced "electronic music" more cheaply that the workshop could produce it, so in 1997 they closed the workshop for good, and in doing so lost the creativity and talent evident in so much of the work produced by the workshop over its life.

As the saying goes - "they don't make 'em like that any more".

Hopefully more albums are on the way...

A world of aural innovation and invention , 21 Nov 2008
Okay I'll get it out of the way early. Without doubt the most famous piece of music to emanate from the BBC,s Radiophonic workshop is the theme tune to Dr Who ( I still have this on 7" vinyl )- a serious contender for the best TV theme tune ever written ( now there's a debate) .It still sounds brilliant to this day , quirky , slightly spooky and alien yet memorable and quite catchy . Its on here in it's original form ( the new Dr Who theme has been updated with portentous strings ). It is however only a smidgeon of the output from the revered workshop .
This is a chronologically ordered compilation covering the output of the workshop from 1958 to 1997 before some dunderhead at the BBC( John Birt in a move that meant every BBC department that couldn't cover its costs had to be axed. The workshop was given five years to break even but due to it's high running costs- it needed engineers as well as composers - failed) decided to terminate( or exterminate it to use a more apt parlance) it so they could pay Chris Moyle's his inflated salary or some other such buffoonery . The double-disc collection is produced by Mark Ayres, surely the world's leading authority on the Radiophonic Workshop, having been a BBC composer and eventual archivist for the now sadly defunct department.
The earlier material from the likes of Delia Derbyshire is truly startling , almost avant garde in it's scope and compositional wizardry . "Talk Out" from 1964 is an extraordinary perspicacious piece of rhythmic music that even today might raise an eyebrow or two. I was especially pleased at the inclusion of Desmond Briscoe's music for the superb "Quatermass And The Pit [1967]" which still sounds eerie sinister and insidiously extraterrestrial.
As the years wore on the workshop came to rely more on standard electronic equipment and lost a little of it's singular sonic inventiveness.. The particular resourcefulness that saw people like Delia Derbyshire and Daphne Oram manipulate tapes and record strange natural or environmental sounds is sacrificed for a more sober less ingenious approach Some of the later material is a little rote and one or two are truly awful but others like the theme From Demon Headmaster, The - Look Into My Eyes and the stuff from "Blake's 7 - Series 1 - Complete [1978] " "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy [1981] " and Salem's Lot" not to mention the abbreviated little soundcsapes from programmes such as "The BBC Natural World Collection" and The Living Planet [1983] " are truly evocative .Miniature aural nuggets of magic.
Back to Dr Who then. The sound of the Tardis de-materialising or indeed materialising ( included here) was made by Brian Hodgson running his keys along the rusty bass strings of a broken piano, with the recording slowed down to make an even lower sound. Genius. No surprise then to learn that George Martin ,another technical studio whiz assisted Maddalena Fagandini with "Time Beat" which is also included here.
How many artists have been influenced by the Work Of The Radiophonic workshop? ....Well I don't know ..who do you think I am? Yet I'm willing to bet my Friday lunchtime treat that a great many influential innovative artists around today owe something to the work of a collection of what were in effect boffins and producers.


About time!, 08 Nov 2008
This is a brilliant album, and long, long overdue. It showcases the work of the much-missed BBC Radiophonic Workshop between 1958 and 1997, including music from "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy", Radio 4's "PM" news programme, "The Demon Headmaster", the BBC's Natural World programmes and many others. I was particularly pleased to see the inclusion of Peter Howell's "The Astronauts".

Most of the album is essentially a CD re-issue of two BBC Radiophonic Workshop LPs: "21" and "Soundhouse", released in 1979 and 1983, but also contains some gems that have never before been released.

Of course, the collection contains perhaps the workshop's most famous recording - the theme from Dr Who, and the Tardis sound effect.

Along with the two recent CD collections of music by John Baker, this is a much welcomed addition to the slowly growing collection of music by the workshop issued on CD. It's taken an unbelievably long time, but at last, the full scope of the Radiophonic Workshop's composers' work is gradually getting the recognition it so richly deserves.

Sadly, as the progress in technology marched on, the BBC, in its "wisdom", decided that it could buy mass-produced "electronic music" more cheaply that the workshop could produce it, so in 1997 they closed the workshop for good, and in doing so lost the creativity and talent evident in so much of the work produced by the workshop over its life.

As the saying goes - "they don't make 'em like that any more".

Hopefully more albums are on the way...

BEST TALKING BOOK EVER, 31 Jan 2008
At once i loved this Talkingbook It was a brilliant find and i really loved it

Disappointing, 09 Nov 2006
I was so disappointed by this audio CD. The actor has a voice similar to Julian Clary and mispronounces some of the characters names! It could have been done a lot better.
Graphically gruesome in places, my rising 6 year old had nightmares. The Greek Myths are much loved in our house. We have books and audio books and this is the first disappointment.

Keeps the kids happy on long car journeys, 02 Aug 2006
We purchased this CD on the basis of another Amazon review and weren't disappointed. Ths kids (aged 8 & 6) love the stories (Heracles, Theseus, Perseus, Jason and the Argonauts among others) and the CD is requested on every car journey! It's a painless way of getting a bit of knowledge/history into us all. The stories are re-told in modern language with some music thrown in for effect at key points, which all adds to the effect. The narrator has a pleasant voice (important when these CDs are played repeatedly!) and even though we all know the stories backward now, enjoy them still.

A world of aural innovation and invention , 21 Nov 2008
Okay I'll get it out of the way early. Without doubt the most famous piece of music to emanate from the BBC,s Radiophonic workshop is the theme tune to Dr Who ( I still have this on 7" vinyl )- a serious contender for the best TV theme tune ever written ( now there's a debate) .It still sounds brilliant to this day , quirky , slightly spooky and alien yet memorable and quite catchy . Its on here in it's original form ( the new Dr Who theme has been updated with portentous strings ). It is however only a smidgeon of the output from the revered workshop .
This is a chronologically ordered compilation covering the output of the workshop from 1958 to 1997 before some dunderhead at the BBC( John Birt in a move that meant every BBC department that couldn't cover its costs had to be axed. The workshop was given five years to break even but due to it's high running costs- it needed engineers as well as composers - failed) decided to terminate( or exterminate it to use a more apt parlance) it so they could pay Chris Moyle's his inflated salary or some other such buffoonery . The double-disc collection is produced by Mark Ayres, surely the world's leading authority on the Radiophonic Workshop, having been a BBC composer and eventual archivist for the now sadly defunct department.
The earlier material from the likes of Delia Derbyshire is truly startling , almost avant garde in it's scope and compositional wizardry . "Talk Out" from 1964 is an extraordinary perspicacious piece of rhythmic music that even today might raise an eyebrow or two. I was especially pleased at the inclusion of Desmond Briscoe's music for the superb "Quatermass And The Pit [1967]" which still sounds eerie sinister and insidiously extraterrestrial.
As the years wore on the workshop came to rely more on standard electronic equipment and lost a little of it's singular sonic inventiveness.. The particular resourcefulness that saw people like Delia Derbyshire and Daphne Oram manipulate tapes and record strange natural or environmental sounds is sacrificed for a more sober less ingenious approach Some of the later material is a little rote and one or two are truly awful but others like the theme From Demon Headmaster, The - Look Into My Eyes and the stuff from "Blake's 7 - Series 1 - Complete [1978] " "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy [1981] " and Salem's Lot" not to mention the abbreviated little soundcsapes from programmes such as "The BBC Natural World Collection" and The Living Planet [1983] " are truly evocative .Miniature aural nuggets of magic.
Back to Dr Who then. The sound of the Tardis de-materialising or indeed materialising ( included here) was made by Brian Hodgson running his keys along the rusty bass strings of a broken piano, with the recording slowed down to make an even lower sound. Genius. No surprise then to learn that George Martin ,another technical studio whiz assisted Maddalena Fagandini with "Time Beat" which is also included here.
How many artists have been influenced by the Work Of The Radiophonic workshop? ....Well I don't know ..who do you think I am? Yet I'm willing to bet my Friday lunchtime treat that a great many influential innovative artists around today owe something to the work of a collection of what were in effect boffins and producers.


About time!, 08 Nov 2008
This is a brilliant album, and long, long overdue. It showcases the work of the much-missed BBC Radiophonic Workshop between 1958 and 1997, including music from "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy", Radio 4's "PM" news programme, "The Demon Headmaster", the BBC's Natural World programmes and many others. I was particularly pleased to see the inclusion of Peter Howell's "The Astronauts".

Most of the album is essentially a CD re-issue of two BBC Radiophonic Workshop LPs: "21" and "Soundhouse", released in 1979 and 1983, but also contains some gems that have never before been released.

Of course, the collection contains perhaps the workshop's most famous recording - the theme from Dr Who, and the Tardis sound effect.

Along with the two recent CD collections of music by John Baker, this is a much welcomed addition to the slowly growing collection of music by the workshop issued on CD. It's taken an unbelievably long time, but at last, the full scope of the Radiophonic Workshop's composers' work is gradually getting the recognition it so richly deserves.

Sadly, as the progress in technology marched on, the BBC, in its "wisdom", decided that it could buy mass-produced "electronic music" more cheaply that the workshop could produce it, so in 1997 they closed the workshop for good, and in doing so lost the creativity and talent evident in so much of the work produced by the workshop over its life.

As the saying goes - "they don't make 'em like that any more".

Hopefully more albums are on the way...

BEST TALKING BOOK EVER, 31 Jan 2008
At once i loved this Talkingbook It was a brilliant find and i really loved it

Disappointing, 09 Nov 2006
I was so disappointed by this audio CD. The actor has a voice similar to Julian Clary and mispronounces some of the characters names! It could have been done a lot better.
Graphically gruesome in places, my rising 6 year old had nightmares. The Greek Myths are much loved in our house. We have books and audio books and this is the first disappointment.

Keeps the kids happy on long car journeys, 02 Aug 2006
We purchased this CD on the basis of another Amazon review and weren't disappointed. Ths kids (aged 8 & 6) love the stories (Heracles, Theseus, Perseus, Jason and the Argonauts among others) and the CD is requested on every car journey! It's a painless way of getting a bit of knowledge/history into us all. The stories are re-told in modern language with some music thrown in for effect at key points, which all adds to the effect. The narrator has a pleasant voice (important when these CDs are played repeatedly!) and even though we all know the stories backward now, enjoy them still.

It's business time!, 22 Aug 2008
What a little gem this is. I can't believe this passed me by (well it was on the radio so that's probably why). This is probably better than anything I have seen on TV for the last couple of years. I must admit that I haven't seen the HBO TV series and I'm not sure if I really want to because this is so good that I don't want to be disappointed.

For those of you who don't know, Flight of the Conchords are a real band, they even have an album out on the sub pop label. Though this radio series is a fictitious account of their attempt to break into the UK scene. They are described as a novelty band and indeed their songs are very funny but the music is still good as well. The only thing I can compare them to are Tenacious D but then they aren't really like that. They are less blue and their style is less rock more pop and hip hop, and their lyrics are also a lot more clever. The actual style of the radio show is a bit like the Office US, with a lot of the comedy coming from Brian the band's manager and his unsuccessful attempts at everything.

I have to disagree with the reviewer who said that the performance of the British comedians in this show was poor. Daniel Kitson (Phoenix Nights) puts in a great performance in the York episode and there is also a good cameo from Andy Parsons (Mock the Week) as a music venue owner. Though to be honest these parts are quite small and most of the air time is dedicated to the Conchords and their manager. Rob Brydon is also fantastic as the narrator, which is something that the HBO series won't have. Some episodes are funnier than others though and that's why I haven't given this five stars. The York episode and the Pie episode though are probably two of my favorite comedy episodes of all time. You really do have to hear this

very disappointing, the songs get short shrift, 04 Dec 2007
Although this is worth a listen for diehard Conchord fans, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone else. A big part of the appeal of their HBO show, as well as the concert clips I've seen, is the contrast between Bret and Jemaine's dead-pan "normal" personalities, and their exuberant and fanciful songs. Since a radio show obviously has no visual component, you'd at least expect performances of the songs to be front and center, but it's not the case. The songs are rarely if ever presented complete and uninterrupted, often stepped on by Rob Brydon's otherwise decent narration, or faded out and talked over by other characters, or cut such that the entire song never appears in the show. Contrived as it was, I much prefer the way the HBO show built the plot around the songs. Even the short clips of their live show on YouTube are better than this.

With the exception of the excellent Rhys Darby as proto-Murray manager Brian Nesbitt, and, to a lesser extent, Neil Finn as Brian's unwitting rock-and-roll mentor, the supporting players range from forgettable to really annoying (especially Greg Proops).

So, hardcore fans, check it out for Bret, Jemaine, and Rhys Darby. Everyone else, I'd recommend the HBO series DVD and YouTube.


Laugh So Hard I Cried, 29 Nov 2007
I laughed so hard I cried. I am just learning about Flight of the Conchords. I heard them on XM radio, imediatly bought their CD and DVD. I have laughed so hard I've cried. It's really quite rare that something can come along like this and make me laugh this hard. God I love these guys.

Conchords got it goin' on!, 03 Sep 2007
If you want proof that Flight of the Conchords are not only the current kings of character comedy but true genii, watch their new HBO sitcom. Don't be put off by the Guardian calling them the funnest thing ever, these guys are one of the only comedy teams to try out an idea on the radio then IMPROVE it for TV (for proof of how rare this is listen to the Mighty Boosh, Little Britian, every other radio to TV comedy transfer since Tony Hancock).

This mockumentary radio series established most of the themes of the TV series (innocents abroad, the manager, stalker fans, the Yoko experience, etc) and features most of the Conchords best songs. It's not as sharp as the TV show, and there are a lot less gags per episode but that Conchord magic is still there through out. New Zealand stand up Rhys Darby's performance as their manager is a joy to hear and worth the asking price alone. Crowded House front man Neil Finn features in every episode and he's a surprisingly effective straight man. Quite possibly the best in the whole wide room. Credit should also go to Rob Brydon for the brilliant dead pan delivery of his linking voice over, the man was clearly wearing his business socks during the recording.

So why only 4 stars?
Well.....
....(with the noted acception of Mr Brydon) all of the british comedy actors are awful. Most of the series was apparently improvised. When the Kiwi comedians are in full flow it's hilarious. But the brits sound like public school kids making things up on the spot. Honestly, you will not believe how weak some of their lines are.

In an effort to be more constructive with my feed back I have thought for far to long about why this is and here is my conclusion: the brits didn't get what the show is about.
Most of the comedy comes from the gentle naivety of the Kiwi characters. When ever they speak the Conchords sound innocent, restrained and a little shy whilst their songs give them permission to express themselves (however inappropriately).
The brits clearly didn't get it and just overact.

So bascially the TV show is better because Jimmy Carr isn't in it. Unless you are a die hard Conchords fan, buy that instead. But if you absolutely must have an audio Conchords fix there is plenty here to recommend.

FOLK YEAH!!, 23 Sep 2005
I've been listening to these guys on their radio 2 show,and they have made another fan.This will be the cd of that show, which i will definitley be buying. If you like rob brydon,john shuttleworth and tenacious d you will love this!...........

A world of aural innovation and invention , 21 Nov 2008
Okay I'll get it out of the way early. Without doubt the most famous piece of music to emanate from the BBC,s Radiophonic workshop is the theme tune to Dr Who ( I still have this on 7" vinyl )- a serious contender for the best TV theme tune ever written ( now there's a debate) .It still sounds brilliant to this day , quirky , slightly spooky and alien yet memorable and quite catchy . Its on here in it's original form ( the new Dr Who theme has been updated with portentous strings ). It is however only a smidgeon of the output from the revered workshop .
This is a chronologically ordered compilation covering the output of the workshop from 1958 to 1997 before some dunderhead at the BBC( John Birt in a move that meant every BBC department that couldn't cover its costs had to be axed. The workshop was given five years to break even but due to it's high running costs- it needed engineers as well as composers - failed) decided to terminate( or exterminate it to use a more apt parlance) it so they could pay Chris Moyle's his inflated salary or some other such buffoonery . The double-disc collection is produced by Mark Ayres, surely the world's leading authority on the Radiophonic Workshop, having been a BBC composer and eventual archivist for the now sadly defunct department.
The earlier material from the likes of Delia Derbyshire is truly startling , almost avant garde in it's scope and compositional wizardry . "Talk Out" from 1964 is an extraordinary perspicacious piece of rhythmic music that even today might raise an eyebrow or two. I was especially pleased at the inclusion of Desmond Briscoe's music for the superb "Quatermass And The Pit [1967]" which still sounds eerie sinister and insidiously extraterrestrial.
As the years wore on the workshop came to rely more on standard electronic equipment and lost a little of it's singular sonic inventiveness.. The particular resourcefulness that saw people like Delia Derbyshire and Daphne Oram manipulate tapes and record strange natural or environmental sounds is sacrificed for a more sober less ingenious approach Some of the later material is a little rote and one or two are truly awful but others like the theme From Demon Headmaster, The - Look Into My Eyes and the stuff from "Blake's 7 - Series 1 - Complete [1978] " "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy [1981] " and Salem's Lot" not to mention the abbreviated little soundcsapes from programmes such as "The BBC Natural World Collection" and The Living Planet [1983] " are truly evocative .Miniature aural nuggets of magic.
Back to Dr Who then. The sound of the Tardis de-materialising or indeed materialising ( included here) was made by Brian Hodgson running his keys along the rusty bass strings of a broken piano, with the recording slowed down to make an even lower sound. Genius. No surprise then to learn that George Martin ,another technical studio whiz assisted Maddalena Fagandini with "Time Beat" which is also included here.
How many artists have been influenced by the Work Of The Radiophonic workshop? ....Well I don't know ..who do you think I am? Yet I'm willing to bet my Friday lunchtime treat that a great many influential innovative artists around today owe something to the work of a collection of what were in effect boffins and producers.


About time!, 08 Nov 2008
This is a brilliant album, and long, long overdue. It showcases the work of the much-missed BBC Radiophonic Workshop between 1958 and 1997, including music from "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy", Radio 4's "PM" news programme, "The Demon Headmaster", the BBC's Natural World programmes and many others. I was particularly pleased to see the inclusion of Peter Howell's "The Astronauts".

Most of the album is essentially a CD re-issue of two BBC Radiophonic Workshop LPs: "21" and "Soundhouse", released in 1979 and 1983, but also contains some gems that have never before been released.

Of course, the collection contains perhaps the workshop's most famous recording - the theme from Dr Who, and the Tardis sound effect.

Along with the two recent CD collections of music by John Baker, this is a much welcomed addition to the slowly growing collection of music by the workshop issued on CD. It's taken an unbelievably long time, but at last, the full scope of the Radiophonic Workshop's composers' work is gradually getting the recognition it so richly deserves.

Sadly, as the progress in technology marched on, the BBC, in its "wisdom", decided that it could buy mass-produced "electronic music" more cheaply that the workshop could produce it, so in 1997 they closed the workshop for good, and in doing so lost the creativity and talent evident in so much of the work produced by the workshop over its life.

As the saying goes - "they don't make 'em like that any more".

Hopefully more albums are on the way...

BEST TALKING BOOK EVER, 31 Jan 2008
At once i loved this Talkingbook It was a brilliant find and i really loved it

Disappointing, 09 Nov 2006
I was so disappointed by this audio CD. The actor has a voice similar to Julian Clary and mispronounces some of the characters names! It could have been done a lot better.
Graphically gruesome in places, my rising 6 year old had nightmares. The Greek Myths are much loved in our house. We have books and audio books and this is the first disappointment.

Keeps the kids happy on long car journeys, 02 Aug 2006
We purchased this CD on the basis of another Amazon review and weren't disappointed. Ths kids (aged 8 & 6) love the stories (Heracles, Theseus, Perseus, Jason and the Argonauts among others) and the CD is requested on every car journey! It's a painless way of getting a bit of knowledge/history into us all. The stories are re-told in modern language with some music thrown in for effect at key points, which all adds to the effect. The narrator has a pleasant voice (important when these CDs are played repeatedly!) and even though we all know the stories backward now, enjoy them still.

It's business time!, 22 Aug 2008
What a little gem this is. I can't believe this passed me by (well it was on the radio so that's probably why). This is probably better than anything I have seen on TV for the last couple of years. I must admit that I haven't seen the HBO TV series and I'm not sure if I really want to because this is so good that I don't want to be disappointed.

For those of you who don't know, Flight of the Conchords are a real band, they even have an album out on the sub pop label. Though this radio series is a fictitious account of their attempt to break into the UK scene. They are described as a novelty band and indeed their songs are very funny but the music is still good as well. The only thing I can compare them to are Tenacious D but then they aren't really like that. They are less blue and their style is less rock more pop and hip hop, and their lyrics are also a lot more clever. The actual style of the radio show is a bit like the Office US, with a lot of the comedy coming from Brian the band's manager and his unsuccessful attempts at everything.

I have to disagree with the reviewer who said that the performance of the British comedians in this show was poor. Daniel Kitson (Phoenix Nights) puts in a great performance in the York episode and there is also a good cameo from Andy Parsons (Mock the Week) as a music venue owner. Though to be honest these parts are quite small and most of the air time is dedicated to the Conchords and their manager. Rob Brydon is also fantastic as the narrator, which is something that the HBO series won't have. Some episodes are funnier than others though and that's why I haven't given this five stars. The York episode and the Pie episode though are probably two of my favorite comedy episodes of all time. You really do have to hear this

very disappointing, the songs get short shrift, 04 Dec 2007
Although this is worth a listen for diehard Conchord fans, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone else. A big part of the appeal of their HBO show, as well as the concert clips I've seen, is the contrast between Bret and Jemaine's dead-pan "normal" personalities, and their exuberant and fanciful songs. Since a radio show obviously has no visual component, you'd at least expect performances of the songs to be front and center, but it's not the case. The songs are rarely if ever presented complete and uninterrupted, often stepped on by Rob Brydon's otherwise decent narration, or faded out and talked over by other characters, or cut such that the entire song never appears in the show. Contrived as it was, I much prefer the way the HBO show built the plot around the songs. Even the short clips of their live show on YouTube are better than this.

With the exception of the excellent Rhys Darby as proto-Murray manager Brian Nesbitt, and, to a lesser extent, Neil Finn as Brian's unwitting rock-and-roll mentor, the supporting players range from forgettable to really annoying (especially Greg Proops).

So, hardcore fans, check it out for Bret, Jemaine, and Rhys Darby. Everyone else, I'd recommend the HBO series DVD and YouTube.


Laugh So Hard I Cried, 29 Nov 2007
I laughed so hard I cried. I am just learning about Flight of the Conchords. I heard them on XM radio, imediatly bought their CD and DVD. I have laughed so hard I've cried. It's really quite rare that something can come along like this and make me laugh this hard. God I love these guys.

Conchords got it goin' on!, 03 Sep 2007
If you want proof that Flight of the Conchords are not only the current kings of character comedy but true genii, watch their new HBO sitcom. Don't be put off by the Guardian calling them the funnest thing ever, these guys are one of the only comedy teams to try out an idea on the radio then IMPROVE it for TV (for proof of how rare this is listen to the Mighty Boosh, Little Britian, every other radio to TV comedy transfer since Tony Hancock).

This mockumentary radio series established most of the themes of the TV series (innocents abroad, the manager, stalker fans, the Yoko experience, etc) and features most of the Conchords best songs. It's not as sharp as the TV show, and there are a lot less gags per episode but that Conchord magic is still there through out. New Zealand stand up Rhys Darby's performance as their manager is a joy to hear and worth the asking price alone. Crowded House front man Neil Finn features in every episode and he's a surprisingly effective straight man. Quite possibly the best in the whole wide room. Credit should also go to Rob Brydon for the brilliant dead pan delivery of his linking voice over, the man was clearly wearing his business socks during the recording.

So why only 4 stars?
Well.....
....(with the noted acception of Mr Brydon) all of the british comedy actors are awful. Most of the series was apparently improvised. When the Kiwi comedians are in full flow it's hilarious. But the brits sound like public school kids making things up on the spot. Honestly, you will not believe how weak some of their lines are.

In an effort to be more constructive with my feed back I have thought for far to long about why this is and here is my conclusion: the brits didn't get what the show is about.
Most of the comedy comes from the gentle naivety of the Kiwi characters. When ever they speak the Conchords sound innocent, restrained and a little shy whilst their songs give them permission to express themselves (however inappropriately).
The brits clearly didn't get it and just overact.

So bascially the TV show is better because Jimmy Carr isn't in it. Unless you are a die hard Conchords fan, buy that instead. But if you absolutely must have an audio Conchords fix there is plenty here to recommend.

FOLK YEAH!!, 23 Sep 2005
I've been listening to these guys on their radio 2 show,and they have made another fan.This will be the cd of that show, which i will definitley be buying. If you like rob brydon,john shuttleworth and tenacious d you will love this!...........

You may be a trifle concerned at the thought ..., 24 Dec 2007
... of buying three CDs of two men singing comic songs.

Don't be.

Flanders and Swann's "comic songs" are different from most. They have bite, wit, character, fire and - just below the surface - sometimes profound meaning. These are no "ordinary" comic songs.

Neither is Swann's accompaniment at the piano ordinary.

These are CDs that contain true gems. Buy them.

Witty, civilised, scintillating, 24 Nov 2005
Bliss! If you tire of entertainment aimed purely at the lowest common denominator then this is the welcome antithesis. The other reviews say it all really. The wordplay of Flanders is just fabulous, the wit perfect, Swann's music light but expertly arranged, and they're not afraid to make references that are, for want of a better word, "intellectual" - in other words, for all the fun and silliness (and they really are very funny), they treat their audience like grown-ups. The result is a box set that is highly original, utterly pleasurable, and often of a range and depth that one wouldn't have at first suspected. "Misalliance" is, at first glance a trivial piece of nonsense about a honeysuckle and a bindweed, but ends up as a surprisingly powerful piece about the freedom to love regardless of race, religion or any other restriction.

I too would place Flanders and Swann in the same corpus as Gilbert and Sullivan, Wilde, Jerome K Jerome, Chesterton and Wodehouse, but that doesn't mean this box set can't sit next to your Franz Ferdinand or Scissor Sisters albums - the criterion isn't whether something is modern bur whether its good. Listen to these three CDs and you realise you are in the presence of two massive talents. Sometimes you have to look to the past to find something new and Flanders and Swann are a breath of fresh air. Brilliant!

Timeless humour, 11 Jan 2005
I don't expect there are many 20-something year olds who enjoy Flanders and Swann but I am proud to be one of them. I learnt to sing the Hippopotamus Song at school and then my mum introduced me to this fine collection.

Nothing makes me giggle more that The Gas Man Cometh or playing the Song of Patriotic Prejudice at top volume with 'foreigners' in the house!

I am proud to say I once saw Donald Swann on stage about a year before his death (and, thanks to a kindly employee, even have his autograph). Together, Flanders and Swann were one of a kind - unmissable British humour at its best!

Comedy changes with the seasons, wit is timeless, 23 Mar 2004
Comedy changes with the seasons, but wit is timeless. Oscar Wilde never goes out of fashion, because he ignored fashion. In the same way, Flanders & Swann remain relevant because their material was selected with care to tap into the eternal concerns of middle-class audiences.

There is still much to surprise and delight as F&S take on public transport, hi-hi, parking, xenophobia, relationships, popular songs, animals fictional and real, even war (arguably, F&S were never more powerful and relevant than in the two very dark anti-war songs included on the third CD, perhaps inspired by Swann's Quaker sympathies), and much more besides.

True, many songs and commentaries by Flanders & Swann may seem dated because the personalities are long gone, but the veracity of Flanders' rapier wit in pricking inflated egos is just as relevant today as it has ever been, echoing the skills of WS Gilbert and others to transcend their time (just insert the names of your least favourite politicians!) While Flanders publically mocked satire ("It has rightly been said that the role of satire is to strip away the veneer from society. Our role as I see it is to put it back"), he was not averse to indulging in what for the time was fairly pungent satire (shame that the wonderful 'Hole in my Budget' is not included here.)

But overall, the mood is light and affectionately funny. Who could fail to enjoy Madeira M'dear, The Gasman Cometh or Ill Wind. Simple, light, refreshing and performed with consummate skill, and leaving the listener with a smile. What more could you want?

Two Gentlemen of Music, 09 Jan 2004
I was fortunate enough to see At The Drop of Another Hat in London. These CDs bring back the memory of that evening very clearly indeed. The gentle satire of Flanders' words combined with Swann's incomparable music epitomise that era. If in doubt, buy it. You won't regret it at all.

Something Like This... is a generous sampling of Bob Newhart's best stand-up bits. Part of what Bob Newhart mastered, earlier on stand-up albums like The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart and The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back! and later on his long-running American television series The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, was capturing a brand of Everyman neuroses and heightening it, bringing mundane, common scenarios into the realm of the absurd--and the absurdly funny. Newhart also perfected playing a character involved in a conversation with the other party in absentia, as in one of his most famous routines, "King Kong", in which he plays the part of an Empire State Building security guard who calls his boss the night King Kong makes his famous ascent. ("Yes, sir, I looked in the handbook index under "unauthorized personnel" and "people without passes" and "apes", and "ape's toes", but it's not in there...."). While some of his topics--airplanes, hating to fly--have now been so overdone as to be comic faux pas, rather than making his material seem dated they often serve to demonstrate just how rare a talent he is simply because the routines still elicit involuntary snorts of laughter some 30 years later. --Mark Hunstman

A world of aural innovation and invention , 21 Nov 2008
Okay I'll get it out of the way early. Without doubt the most famous piece of music to emanate from the BBC,s Radiophonic workshop is the theme tune to Dr Who ( I still have this on 7" vinyl )- a serious contender for the best TV theme tune ever written ( now there's a debate) .It still sounds brilliant to this day , quirky , slightly spooky and alien yet memorable and quite catchy . Its on here in it's original form ( the new Dr Who theme has been updated with portentous strings ). It is however only a smidgeon of the output from the revered workshop .
This is a chronologically ordered compilation covering the output of the workshop from 1958 to 1997 before some dunderhead at the BBC( John Birt in a move that meant every BBC department that couldn't cover its costs had to be axed. The workshop was given five years to break even but due to it's high running costs- it needed engineers as well as composers - failed) decided to terminate( or exterminate it to use a more apt parlance) it so they could pay Chris Moyle's his inflated salary or some other such buffoonery . The double-disc collection is produced by Mark Ayres, surely the world's leading authority on the Radiophonic Workshop, having been a BBC composer and eventual archivist for the now sadly defunct department.
The earlier material from the likes of Delia Derbyshire is truly startling , almost avant garde in it's scope and compositional wizardry . "Talk Out" from 1964 is an extraordinary perspicacious piece of rhythmic music that even today might raise an eyebrow or two. I was especially pleased at the inclusion of Desmond Briscoe's music for the superb "Quatermass And The Pit [1967]" which still sounds eerie sinister and insidiously extraterrestrial.
As the years wore on the workshop came to rely more on standard electronic equipment and lost a little of it's singular sonic inventiveness.. The particular resourcefulness that saw people like Delia Derbyshire and Daphne Oram manipulate tapes and record strange natural or environmental sounds is sacrificed for a more sober less ingenious approach Some of the later material is a little rote and one or two are truly awful but others like the theme From Demon Headmaster, The - Look Into My Eyes and the stuff from "Blake's 7 - Series 1 - Complete [1978] " "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy [1981] " and Salem's Lot" not to mention the abbreviated little soundcsapes from programmes such as "The BBC Natural World Collection" and The Living Planet [1983] " are truly evocative .Miniature aural nuggets of magic.
Back to Dr Who then. The sound of the Tardis de-materialising or indeed materialising ( included here) was made by Brian Hodgson running his keys along the rusty bass strings of a broken piano, with the recording slowed down to make an even lower sound. Genius. No surprise then to learn that George Martin ,another technical studio whiz assisted Maddalena Fagandini with "Time Beat" which is also included here.
How many artists have been influenced by the Work Of The Radiophonic workshop? ....Well I don't know ..who do you think I am? Yet I'm willing to bet my Friday lunchtime treat that a great many influential innovative artists around today owe something to the work of a collection of what were in effect boffins and producers.


About time!, 08 Nov 2008
This is a brilliant album, and long, long overdue. It showcases the work of the much-missed BBC Radiophonic Workshop between 1958 and 1997, including music from "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy", Radio 4's "PM" news programme, "The Demon Headmaster", the BBC's Natural World programmes and many others. I was particularly pleased to see the inclusion of Peter Howell's "The Astronauts".

Most of the album is essentially a CD re-issue of two BBC Radiophonic Workshop LPs: "21" and "Soundhouse", released in 1979 and 1983, but also contains some gems that have never before been released.

Of course, the collection contains perhaps the workshop's most famous recording - the theme from Dr Who, and the Tardis sound effect.

Along with the two recent CD collections of music by John Baker, this is a much welcomed addition to the slowly growing collection of music by the workshop issued on CD. It's taken an unbelievably long time, but at last, the full scope of the Radiophonic Workshop's composers' work is gradually getting the recognition it so richly deserves.

Sadly, as the progress in technology marched on, the BBC, in its "wisdom", decided that it could buy mass-produced "electronic music" more cheaply that the workshop could produce it, so in 1997 they closed the workshop for good, and in doing so lost the creativity and talent evident in so much of the work produced by the workshop over its life.

As the saying goes - "they don't make 'em like that any more".

Hopefully more albums are on the way...

BEST TALKING BOOK EVER, 31 Jan 2008
At once i loved this Talkingbook It was a brilliant find and i really loved it

Disappointing, 09 Nov 2006
I was so disappointed by this audio CD. The actor has a voice similar to Julian Clary and mispronounces some of the characters names! It could have been done a lot better.
Graphically gruesome in places, my rising 6 year old had nightmares. The Greek Myths are much loved in our house. We have books and audio books and this is the first disappointment.

Keeps the kids happy on long car journeys, 02 Aug 2006
We purchased this CD on the basis of another Amazon review and weren't disappointed. Ths kids (aged 8 & 6) love the stories (Heracles, Theseus, Perseus, Jason and the Argonauts among others) and the CD is requested on every car journey! It's a painless way of getting a bit of knowledge/history into us all. The stories are re-told in modern language with some music thrown in for effect at key points, which all adds to the effect. The narrator has a pleasant voice (important when these CDs are played repeatedly!) and even though we all know the stories backward now, enjoy them still.

It's business time!, 22 Aug 2008
What a little gem this is. I can't believe this passed me by (well it was on the radio so that's probably why). This is probably better than anything I have seen on TV for the last couple of years. I must admit that I haven't seen the HBO TV series and I'm not sure if I really want to because this is so good that I don't want to be disappointed.

For those of you who don't know, Flight of the Conchords are a real band, they even have an album out on the sub pop label. Though this radio series is a fictitious account of their attempt to break into the UK scene. They are described as a novelty band and indeed their songs are very funny but the music is still good as well. The only thing I can compare them to are Tenacious D but then they aren't really like that. They are less blue and their style is less rock more pop and hip hop, and their lyrics are also a lot more clever. The actual style of the radio show is a bit like the Office US, with a lot of the comedy coming from Brian the band's manager and his unsuccessful attempts at everything.

I have to disagree with the reviewer who said that the performance of the British comedians in this show was poor. Daniel Kitson (Phoenix Nights) puts in a great performance in the York episode and there is also a good cameo from Andy Parsons (Mock the Week) as a music venue owner. Though to be honest these parts are quite small and most of the air time is dedicated to the Conchords and their manager. Rob Brydon is also fantastic as the narrator, which is something that the HBO series won't have. Some episodes are funnier than others though and that's why I haven't given this five stars. The York episode and the Pie episode though are probably two of my favorite comedy episodes of all time. You really do have to hear this

very disappointing, the songs get short shrift, 04 Dec 2007
Although this is worth a listen for diehard Conchord fans, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone else. A big part of the appeal of their HBO show, as well as the concert clips I've seen, is the contrast between Bret and Jemaine's dead-pan "normal" personalities, and their exuberant and fanciful songs. Since a radio show obviously has no visual component, you'd at least expect performances of the songs to be front and center, but it's not the case. The songs are rarely if ever presented complete and uninterrupted, often stepped on by Rob Brydon's otherwise decent narration, or faded out and talked over by other characters, or cut such that the entire song never appears in the show. Contrived as it was, I much prefer the way the HBO show built the plot around the songs. Even the short clips of their live show on YouTube are better than this.

With the exception of the excellent Rhys Darby as proto-Murray manager Brian Nesbitt, and, to a lesser extent, Neil Finn as Brian's unwitting rock-and-roll mentor, the supporting players range from forgettable to really annoying (especially Greg Proops).

So, hardcore fans, check it out for Bret, Jemaine, and Rhys Darby. Everyone else, I'd recommend the HBO series DVD and YouTube.


Laugh So Hard I Cried, 29 Nov 2007
I laughed so hard I cried. I am just learning about Flight of the Conchords. I heard them on XM radio, imediatly bought their CD and DVD. I have laughed so hard I've cried. It's really quite rare that something can come along like this and make me laugh this hard. God I love these guys.

Conchords got it goin' on!, 03 Sep 2007
If you want proof that Flight of the Conchords are not only the current kings of character comedy but true genii, watch their new HBO sitcom. Don't be put off by the Guardian calling them the funnest thing ever, these guys are one of the only comedy teams to try out an idea on the radio then IMPROVE it for TV (for proof of how rare this is listen to the Mighty Boosh, Little Britian, every other radio to TV comedy transfer since Tony Hancock).

This mockumentary radio series established most of the themes of the TV series (innocents abroad, the manager, stalker fans, the Yoko experience, etc) and features most of the Conchords best songs. It's not as sharp as the TV show, and there are a lot less gags per episode but that Conchord magic is still there through out. New Zealand stand up Rhys Darby's performance as their manager is a joy to hear and worth the asking price alone. Crowded House front man Neil Finn features in every episode and he's a surprisingly effective straight man. Quite possibly the best in the whole wide room. Credit should also go to Rob Brydon for the brilliant dead pan delivery of his linking voice over, the man was clearly wearing his business socks during the recording.

So why only 4 stars?
Well.....
....(with the noted acception of Mr Brydon) all of the british comedy actors are awful. Most of the series was apparently improvised. When the Kiwi comedians are in full flow it's hilarious. But the brits sound like public school kids making things up on the spot. Honestly, you will not believe how weak some of their lines are.

In an effort to be more constructive with my feed back I have thought for far to long about why this is and here is my conclusion: the brits didn't get what the show is about.
Most of the comedy comes from the gentle naivety of the Kiwi characters. When ever they speak the Conchords sound innocent, restrained and a little shy whilst their songs give them permission to express themselves (however inappropriately).
The brits clearly didn't get it and just overact.

So bascially the TV show is better because Jimmy Carr isn't in it. Unless you are a die hard Conchords fan, buy that instead. But if you absolutely must have an audio Conchords fix there is plenty here to recommend.

FOLK YEAH!!, 23 Sep 2005
I've been listening to these guys on their radio 2 show,and they have made another fan.This will be the cd of that show, which i will definitley be buying. If you like rob brydon,john shuttleworth and tenacious d you will love this!...........

You may be a trifle concerned at the thought ..., 24 Dec 2007
... of buying three CDs of two men singing comic songs.

Don't be.

Flanders and Swann's "comic songs" are different from most. They have bite, wit, character, fire and - just below the surface - sometimes profound meaning. These are no "ordinary" comic songs.

Neither is Swann's accompaniment at the piano ordinary.

These are CDs that contain true gems. Buy them.

Witty, civilised, scintillating, 24 Nov 2005
Bliss! If you tire of entertainment aimed purely at the lowest common denominator then this is the welcome antithesis. The other reviews say it all really. The wordplay of Flanders is just fabulous, the wit perfect, Swann's music light but expertly arranged, and they're not afraid to make references that are, for want of a better word, "intellectual" - in other words, for all the fun and silliness (and they really are very funny), they treat their audience like grown-ups. The result is a box set that is highly original, utterly pleasurable, and often of a range and depth that one wouldn't have at first suspected. "Misalliance" is, at first glance a trivial piece of nonsense about a honeysuckle and a bindweed, but ends up as a surprisingly powerful piece about the freedom to love regardless of race, religion or any other restriction.

I too would place Flanders and Swann in the same corpus as Gilbert and Sullivan, Wilde, Jerome K Jerome, Chesterton and Wodehouse, but that doesn't mean this box set can't sit next to your Franz Ferdinand or Scissor Sisters albums - the criterion isn't whether something is modern bur whether its good. Listen to these three CDs and you realise you are in the presence of two massive talents. Sometimes you have to look to the past to find something new and Flanders and Swann are a breath of fresh air. Brilliant!

Timeless humour, 11 Jan 2005
I don't expect there are many 20-something year olds who enjoy Flanders and Swann but I am proud to be one of them. I learnt to sing the Hippopotamus Song at school and then my mum introduced me to this fine collection.

Nothing makes me giggle more that The Gas Man Cometh or playing the Song of Patriotic Prejudice at top volume with 'foreigners' in the house!

I am proud to say I once saw Donald Swann on stage about a year before his death (and, thanks to a kindly employee, even have his autograph). Together, Flanders and Swann were one of a kind - unmissable British humour at its best!

Comedy changes with the seasons, wit is timeless, 23 Mar 2004
Comedy changes with the seasons, but wit is timeless. Oscar Wilde never goes out of fashion, because he ignored fashion. In the same way, Flanders & Swann remain relevant because their material was selected with care to tap into the eternal concerns of middle-class audiences.

There is still much to surprise and delight as F&S take on public transport, hi-hi, parking, xenophobia, relationships, popular songs, animals fictional and real, even war (arguably, F&S were never more powerful and relevant than in the two very dark anti-war songs included on the third CD, perhaps inspired by Swann's Quaker sympathies), and much more besides.

True, many songs and commentaries by Flanders & Swann may seem dated because the personalities are long gone, but the veracity of Flanders' rapier wit in pricking inflated egos is just as relevant today as it has ever been, echoing the skills of WS Gilbert and others to transcend their time (just insert the names of your least favourite politicians!) While Flanders publically mocked satire ("It has rightly been said that the role of satire is to strip away the veneer from society. Our role as I see it is to put it back"), he was not averse to indulging in what for the time was fairly pungent satire (shame that the wonderful 'Hole in my Budget' is not included here.)

But overall, the mood is light and affectionately funny. Who could fail to enjoy Madeira M'dear, The Gasman Cometh or Ill Wind. Simple, light, refreshing and performed with consummate skill, and leaving the listener with a smile. What more could you want?

Two Gentlemen of Music, 09 Jan 2004
I was fortunate enough to see At The Drop of Another Hat in London. These CDs bring back the memory of that evening very clearly indeed. The gentle satire of Flanders' words combined with Swann's incomparable music epitomise that era. If in doubt, buy it. You won't regret it at all.

Laugh until you ache !!, 17 Feb 2008
My husband is a driving instructor so I felt this CD was a "must have" gift for him.

We are both were familiar with Bob Newhart's brilliantly funny sketches from years back - once hard - never forgotten. It's not only what he puts into his sketches that are so funny, as what he leaves out, with well timed pauses skillfully setting the scene in the listener's imagination.

The Driving Instructor is a pure classic - I defy anyone not to laugh have until they have tears rolling down their cheeks. The Grace L Ferguson Airline (and Storm Door co) is brilliantly funny also, as is the Retirement Party and the Bus Drivers' School.

This is wonderfully funny humour which still works today and very cleverly constructed leaving so much to the imagination. If you have never heard of Bob Newhart - try this terrific CD. He is class act - a legend in the world of humour.


funny guy, 16 Sep 2005
he's quite a funny guy, i bought this for my mother and have overheard it in the house; some items are pretty funny, others don't quite hit the mark

Classic comedy, 22 Jan 2005
Bob Newhart was one of the first stand up comics to 'make it big', and from this CD it's not hard to see why - he genuinely is funny. Not 'funny' as in the majority of today's so-called comics who focus on flatulence and 'adult material' for laughs, but 'witty'.

Newhart's material consists of him talking to an imaginary 'other person', either on the 'phone or in a variety of situations. Amongst the best are the policeman using the new guidelines to perusade a would-be suicide not to do it, and the policeman trying to defuse a bomb he's found. My favourite is the phone call between Sir Walter Raleigh and his agent in London, about the boatload of tobacco leaves he's shipped over.

The sound quality's not brilliant, and if it were music would be cause for compliant, but in reality it makes little difference as you're only listening to someone talking.

The trouble is, of course, that you can only listen to this a couple of times before it looses its edge, but it's still definately worth getting.

classic subtle satire, 29 Nov 2004
My Dad had one of Newhart's albums. 'Introducing tobacco to
Civilisation' is an all-time classic - thankfully included on
this generous 2-CD set. Some of the sketches perhaps have more
resonance for an American audience, but there's plenty here for
everyone. Pity they chose not to include 'General Chariot Corp'
which is also surprisingly relevant - even after 40 years.

Bob Newhart For The New Millenium, 09 Apr 2004
I haven't written many reviews of this nature, but I'd love the chance to tell potential purchasers just how enjoyable this CD really is. Well, here's my review, and it goes something like this...

I vaguely remembered, when I was younger, hearing an amusing sketch about a driving instructor and his hilariously incompetent trainee. I tried to find this sketch and did so by buying this compilation from Amazon. And after listening to the wealth of Newhart's classics this is certainly not a decision I regret!

The "Something Like This" album contains two discs full of Newhart's material. Not all of it is likely to be brilliant for the modern non-American listening to it today. And yet so much of it is. The Driving Instructor, Bus Driver School and Ledge Psychology are just some of the real highlights in the anthology.

This Newhart compilation is almost entirely about one man talking to an imaginary audience - be it a bunch of passengers on a plane, sociopathic bus-drivers or the discontented crew of the U S S Codfish.

There are no special effects on these CDs. No on-stage colleagues. These sketches merely contain one man talking to other people who aren't actually present. And yet it works so well. As Bill Inglot says in the accompanying booklet to this CD package: "Bob Newhart had better conversations with himself than most people have with other people"

As I said, not all of the sketches work perfectly - but there are plenty that do and when they work they can send you into tears and outright laughter.

Just try putting this into your personal CD player. You may get some funny looks from your colleagues or bus passengers when they witness your smirking and giggling. But secretly they'd love to borrow one of your earphones and share a chance to listen to a truly brilliant entertainer.

For the price, the quality and the quantity - this is an excellent investment.

A world of aural innovation and invention , 21 Nov 2008
Okay I'll get it out of the way early. Without doubt the most famous piece of music to emanate from the BBC,s Radiophonic workshop is the theme tune to Dr Who ( I still have this on 7" vinyl )- a serious contender for the best TV theme tune ever written ( now there's a debate) .It still sounds brilliant to this day , quirky , slightly spooky and alien yet memorable and quite catchy . Its on here in it's original form ( the new Dr Who theme has been updated with portentous strings ). It is however only a smidgeon of the output from the revered workshop .
This is a chronologically ordered compilation covering the output of the workshop from 1958 to 1997 before some dunderhead at the BBC( John Birt in a move that meant every BBC department that couldn't cover its costs had to be axed. The workshop was given five years to break even but due to it's high running costs- it needed engineers as well as composers - failed) decided to terminate( or exterminate it to use a more apt parlance) it so they could pay Chris Moyle's his inflated salary or some other such buffoonery . The double-disc collection is produced by Mark Ayres, surely the world's leading authority on the Radiophonic Workshop, having been a BBC composer and eventual archivist for the now sadly defunct department.
The earlier material from the likes of Delia Derbyshire is truly startling , almost avant garde in it's scope and compositional wizardry . "Talk Out" from 1964 is an extraordinary perspicacious piece of rhythmic music that even today might raise an eyebrow or two. I was especially pleased at the inclusion of Desmond Briscoe's music for the superb "Quatermass And The Pit [1967]" which still sounds eerie sinister and insidiously extraterrestrial.
As the years wore on the workshop came to rely more on standard electronic equipment and lost a little of it's singular sonic inventiveness.. The particular resourcefulness that saw people like Delia Derbyshire and Daphne Oram manipulate tapes and record strange natural or environmental sounds is sacrificed for a more sober less ingenious approach Some of the later material is a little rote and one or two are truly awful but others like the theme From Demon Headmaster, The - Look Into My Eyes and the stuff from "Blake's 7 - Series 1 - Complete [1978] " "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy [1981] " and Salem's Lot" not to mention the abbreviated little soundcsapes from programmes such as "The BBC Natural World Collection" and The Living Planet [1983] " are truly evocative .Miniature aural nuggets of magic.
Back to Dr Who then. The sound of the Tardis de-materialising or indeed materialising ( included here) was made by Brian Hodgson running his keys along the rusty bass strings of a broken piano, with the recording slowed down to make an even lower sound. Genius. No surprise then to learn that George Martin ,another technical studio whiz assisted Maddalena Fagandini with "Time Beat" which is also included here.
How many artists have been influenced by the Work Of The Radiophonic workshop? ....Well I don't know ..who do you think I am? Yet I'm willing to bet my Friday lunchtime treat that a great many influential innovative artists around today owe something to the work of a collection of what were in effect boffins and producers.


About time!, 08 Nov 2008
This is a brilliant album, and long, long overdue. It showcases the work of the much-missed BBC Radiophonic Workshop between 1958 and 1997, including music from "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy", Radio 4's "PM" news programme, "The Demon Headmaster", the BBC's Natural World programmes and many others. I was particularly pleased to see the inclusion of Peter Howell's "The Astronauts".

Most of the album is essentially a CD re-issue of two BBC Radiophonic Workshop LPs: "21" and "Soundhouse", released in 1979 and 1983, but also contains some gems that have never before been released.

Of course, the collection contains perhaps the workshop's most famous recording - the theme from Dr Who, and the Tardis sound effect.

Along with the two recent CD collections of music by John Baker, this is a much welcomed addition to the slowly growing collection of music by the workshop issued on CD. It's taken an unbelievably long time, but at last, the full scope of the Radiophonic Workshop's composers' work is gradually getting the recognition it so richly deserves.

Sadly, as the progress in technology marched on, the BBC, in its "wisdom", decided that it could buy mass-produced "electronic music" more cheaply that the workshop could produce it, so in 1997 they closed the workshop for good, and in doing so lost the creativity and talent evident in so much of the work produced by the workshop over its life.

As the saying goes - "they don't make 'em like that any more".

Hopefully more albums are on the way...

BEST TALKING BOOK EVER, 31 Jan 2008
At once i loved this Talkingbook It was a brilliant find and i really loved it

Disappointing, 09 Nov 2006
I was so disappointed by this audio CD. The actor has a voice similar to Julian Clary and mispronounces some of the characters names! It could have been done a lot better.
Graphically gruesome in places, my rising 6 year old had nightmares. The Greek Myths are much loved in our house. We have books and audio books and this is the first disappointment.

Keeps the kids happy on long car journeys, 02 Aug 2006
We purchased this CD on the basis of another Amazon review and weren't disappointed. Ths kids (aged 8 & 6) love the stories (Heracles, Theseus, Perseus, Jason and the Argonauts among others) and the CD is requested on every car journey! It's a painless way of getting a bit of knowledge/history into us all. The stories are re-told in modern language with some music thrown in for effect at key points, which all adds to the effect. The narrator has a pleasant voice (important when these CDs are played repeatedly!) and even though we all know the stories backward now, enjoy them still.

It's business time!, 22 Aug 2008
What a little gem this is. I can't believe this passed me by (well it was on the radio so that's probably why). This is probably better than anything I have seen on TV for the last couple of years. I must admit that I haven't seen the HBO TV series and I'm not sure if I really want to because this is so good that I don't want to be disappointed.

For those of you who don't know, Flight of the Conchords are a real band, they even have an album out on the sub pop label. Though this radio series is a fictitious account of their attempt to break into the UK scene. They are described as a novelty band and indeed their songs are very funny but the music is still good as well. The only thing I can compare them to are Tenacious D but then they aren't really like that. They are less blue and their style is less rock more pop and hip hop, and their lyrics are also a lot more clever. The actual style of the radio show is a bit like the Office US, with a lot of the comedy coming from Brian the band's manager and his unsuccessful attempts at everything.

I have to disagree with the reviewer who said that the performance of the British comedians in this show was poor. Daniel Kitson (Phoenix Nights) puts in a great performance in the York episode and there is also a good cameo from Andy Parsons (Mock the Week) as a music venue owner. Though to be honest these parts are quite small and most of the air time is dedicated to the Conchords and their manager. Rob Brydon is also fantastic as the narrator, which is something that the HBO series won't have. Some episodes are funnier than others though and that's why I haven't given this five stars. The York episode and the Pie episode though are probably two of my favorite comedy episodes of all time. You really do have to hear this

very disappointing, the songs get short shrift, 04 Dec 2007
Although this is worth a listen for diehard Conchord fans, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone else. A big part of the appeal of their HBO show, as well as the concert clips I've seen, is the contrast between Bret and Jemaine's dead-pan "normal" personalities, and their exuberant and fanciful songs. Since a radio show obviously has no visual component, you'd at least expect performances of the songs to be front and center, but it's not the case. The songs are rarely if ever presented complete and uninterrupted, often stepped on by Rob Brydon's otherwise decent narration, or faded out and talked over by other characters, or cut such that the entire song never appears in the show. Contrived as it was, I much prefer the way the HBO show built the plot around the songs. Even the short clips of their live show on YouTube are better than this.

With the exception of the excellent Rhys Darby as proto-Murray manager Brian Nesbitt, and, to a lesser extent, Neil Finn as Brian's unwitting rock-and-roll mentor, the supporting players range from forgettable to really annoying (especially Greg Proops).

So, hardcore fans, check it out for Bret, Jemaine, and Rhys Darby. Everyone else, I'd recommend the HBO series DVD and YouTube.


Laugh So Hard I Cried, 29 Nov 2007
I laughed so hard I cried. I am just learning about Flight of the Conchords. I heard them on XM radio, imediatly bought their CD and DVD. I have laughed so hard I've cried. It's really quite rare that something can come along like this and make me laugh this hard. God I love these guys.

Conchords got it goin' on!, 03 Sep 2007
If you want proof that Flight of the Conchords are not only the current kings of character comedy but true genii, watch their new HBO sitcom. Don't be put off by the Guardian calling them the funnest thing ever, these guys are one of the only comedy teams to try out an idea on the radio then IMPROVE it for TV (for proof of how rare this is listen to the Mighty Boosh, Little Britian, every other radio to TV comedy transfer since Tony Hancock).

This mockumentary radio series established most of the themes of the TV series (innocents abroad, the manager, stalker fans, the Yoko experience, etc) and features most of the Conchords best songs. It's not as sharp as the TV show, and there are a lot less gags per episode but that Conchord magic is still there through out. New Zealand stand up Rhys Darby's performance as their manager is a joy to hear and worth the asking price alone. Crowded House front man Neil Finn features in every episode and he's a surprisingly effective straight man. Quite possibly the best in the whole wide room. Credit should also go to Rob Brydon for the brilliant dead pan delivery of his linking voice over, the man was clearly wearing his business socks during the recording.

So why only 4 stars?
Well.....
....(with the noted acception of Mr Brydon) all of the british comedy actors are awful. Most of the series was apparently improvised. When the Kiwi comedians are in full flow it's hilarious. But the brits sound like public school kids making things up on the spot. Honestly, you will not believe how weak some of their lines are.

In an effort to be more constructive with my feed back I have thought for far to long about why this is and here is my conclusion: the brits didn't get what the show is about.
Most of the comedy comes from the gentle naivety of the Kiwi characters. When ever they speak the Conchords sound innocent, restrained and a little shy whilst their songs give them permission to express themselves (however inappropriately).
The brits clearly didn't get it and just overact.

So bascially the TV show is better because Jimmy Carr isn't in it. Unless you are a die hard Conchords fan, buy that instead. But if you absolutely must have an audio Conchords fix there is plenty here to recommend.

FOLK YEAH!!, 23 Sep 2005
I've been listening to these guys on their radio 2 show,and they have made another fan.This will be the cd of that show, which i will definitley be buying. If you like rob brydon,john shuttleworth and tenacious d you will love this!...........

You may be a trifle concerned at the thought ..., 24 Dec 2007
... of buying three CDs of two men singing comic songs.

Don't be.

Flanders and Swann's "comic songs" are different from most. They have bite, wit, character, fire and - just below the surface - sometimes profound meaning. These are no "ordinary" comic songs.

Neither is Swann's accompaniment at the piano ordinary.

These are CDs that contain true gems. Buy them.

Witty, civilised, scintillating, 24 Nov 2005
Bliss! If you tire of entertainment aimed purely at the lowest common denominator then this is the welcome antithesis. The other reviews say it all really. The wordplay of Flanders is just fabulous, the wit perfect, Swann's music light but expertly arranged, and they're not afraid to make references that are, for want of a better word, "intellectual" - in other words, for all the fun and silliness (and they really are very funny), they treat their audience like grown-ups. The result is a box set that is highly original, utterly pleasurable, and often of a range and depth that one wouldn't have at first suspected. "Misalliance" is, at first glance a trivial piece of nonsense about a honeysuckle and a bindweed, but ends up as a surprisingly powerful piece about the freedom to love regardless of race, religion or any other restriction.

I too would place Flanders and Swann in the same corpus as Gilbert and Sullivan, Wilde, Jerome K Jerome, Chesterton and Wodehouse, but that doesn't mean this box set can't sit next to your Franz Ferdinand or Scissor Sisters albums - the criterion isn't whether something is modern bur whether its good. Listen to these three CDs and you realise you are in the presence of two massive talents. Sometimes you have to look to the past to find something new and Flanders and Swann are a breath of fresh air. Brilliant!

Timeless humour, 11 Jan 2005
I don't expect there are many 20-something year olds who enjoy Flanders and Swann but I am proud to be one of them. I learnt to sing the Hippopotamus Song at school and then my mum introduced me to this fine collection.

Nothing makes me giggle more that The Gas Man Cometh or playing the Song of Patriotic Prejudice at top volume with 'foreigners' in the house!

I am proud to say I once saw Donald Swann on stage about a year before his death (and, thanks to a kindly employee, even have his autograph). Together, Flanders and Swann were one of a kind - unmissable British humour at its best!

Comedy changes with the seasons, wit is timeless, 23 Mar 2004
Comedy changes with the seasons, but wit is timeless. Oscar Wilde never goes out of fashion, because he ignored fashion. In the same way, Flanders & Swann remain relevant because their material was selected with care to tap into the eternal concerns of middle-class audiences.

There is still much to surprise and delight as F&S take on public transport, hi-hi, parking, xenophobia, relationships, popular songs, animals fictional and real, even war (arguably, F&S were never more powerful and relevant than in the two very dark anti-war songs included on the third CD, perhaps inspired by Swann's Quaker sympathies), and much more besides.

True, many songs and commentaries by Flanders & Swann may seem dated because the personalities are long gone, but the veracity of Flanders' rapier wit in pricking inflated egos is just as relevant today as it has ever been, echoing the skills of WS Gilbert and others to transcend their time (just insert the names of your least favourite politicians!) While Flanders publically mocked satire ("It has rightly been said that the role of satire is to strip away the veneer from society. Our role as I see it is to put it back"), he was not averse to indulging in what for the time was fairly pungent satire (shame that the wonderful 'Hole in my Budget' is not included here.)

But overall, the mood is light and affectionately funny. Who could fail to enjoy Madeira M'dear, The Gasman Cometh or Ill Wind. Simple, light, refreshing and performed with consummate skill, and leaving the listener with a smile. What more could you want?

Two Gentlemen of Music, 09 Jan 2004
I was fortunate enough to see At The Drop of Another Hat in London. These CDs bring back the memory of that evening very clearly indeed. The gentle satire of Flanders' words combined with Swann's incomparable music epitomise that era. If in doubt, buy it. You won't regret it at all.

Laugh until you ache !!, 17 Feb 2008
My husband is a driving instructor so I felt this CD was a "must have" gift for him.

We are both were familiar with Bob Newhart's brilliantly funny sketches from years back - once hard - never forgotten. It's not only what he puts into his sketches that are so funny, as what he leaves out, with well timed pauses skillfully setting the scene in the listener's imagination.

The Driving Instructor is a pure classic - I defy anyone not to laugh have until they have tears rolling down their cheeks. The Grace L Ferguson Airline (and Storm Door co) is brilliantly funny also, as is the Retirement Party and the Bus Drivers' School.

This is wonderfully funny humour which still works today and very cleverly constructed leaving so much to the imagination. If you have never heard of Bob Newhart - try this terrific CD. He is class act - a legend in the world of humour.


funny guy, 16 Sep 2005
he's quite a funny guy, i bought this for my mother and have overheard it in the house; some items are pretty funny, others don't quite hit the mark

Classic comedy, 22 Jan 2005
Bob Newhart was one of the first stand up comics to 'make it big', and from this CD it's not hard to see why - he genuinely is funny. Not 'funny' as in the majority of today's so-called comics who focus on flatulence and 'adult material' for laughs, but 'witty'.

Newhart's material consists of him talking to an imaginary 'other person', either on the 'phone or in a variety of situations. Amongst the best are the policeman using the new guidelines to perusade a would-be suicide not to do it, and the policeman trying to defuse a bomb he's found. My favourite is the phone call between Sir Walter Raleigh and his agent in London, about the boatload of tobacco leaves he's shipped over.

The sound quality's not brilliant, and if it were music would be cause for compliant, but in reality it makes little difference as you're only listening to someone talking.

The trouble is, of course, that you can only listen to this a couple of times before it looses its edge, but it's still definately worth getting.

classic subtle satire, 29 Nov 2004
My Dad had one of Newhart's albums. 'Introducing tobacco to
Civilisation' is an all-time classic - thankfully included on
this generous 2-CD set. Some of the sketches perhaps have more
resonance for an American audience, but there's plenty here for
everyone. Pity they chose not to include 'General Chariot Corp'
which is also surprisingly relevant - even after 40 years.

Bob Newhart For The New Millenium, 09 Apr 2004
I haven't written many reviews of this nature, but I'd love the chance to tell potential purchasers just how enjoyable this CD really is. Well, here's my review, and it goes something like this...

I vaguely remembered, when I was younger, hearing an amusing sketch about a driving instructor and his hilariously incompetent trainee. I tried to find this sketch and did so by buying this compilation from Amazon. And after listening to the wealth of Newhart's classics this is certainly not a decision I regret!

The "Something Like This" album contains two discs full of Newhart's material. Not all of it is likely to be brilliant for the modern non-American listening to it today. And yet so much of it is. The Driving Instructor, Bus Driver School and Ledge Psychology are just some of the real highlights in the anthology.

This Newhart compilation is almost entirely about one man talking to an imaginary audience - be it a bunch of passengers on a plane, sociopathic bus-drivers or the discontented crew of the U S S Codfish.

There are no special effects on these CDs. No on-stage colleagues. These sketches merely contain one man talking to other people who aren't actually present. And yet it works so well. As Bill Inglot says in the accompanying booklet to this CD package: "Bob Newhart had better conversations with himself than most people have with other people"

As I said, not all of the sketches work perfectly - but there are plenty that do and when they work they can send you into tears and outright laughter.

Just try putting this into your personal CD player. You may get some funny looks from your colleagues or bus passengers when they witness your smirking and giggling. But secretly they'd love to borrow one of your earphones and share a chance to listen to a truly brilliant entertainer.

For the price, the quality and the quantity - this is an excellent investment.

Dated, but that's part of the fun, 02 Oct 2008
A reasonably-priced compilation featuring all their best; I purchased it for:
Madeira M'dear
The Gnu
The gas man cometh
The Hippopotamus
Patriotic Prejudice
There are some other gems on there, but the interspersed bits of stand-up are quickly tiring, and the subject matter of much of the satire has become obscure.

A transport of delight, let down by some strange editing, 06 Feb 2008
The material on this CD is superb - Flanders and Swann were wonderful performers and superb comic song writers. Not only that, but they're clearly thoroughly enjoying performing - you can clearly hear Swann laughing away during Flander's monologues, even though he must have heard it all hundreds of times before. The material has a gentle, dry humour about it, which sems to be missing from modern comedy. Much of the fun comes from poking a little fun at day to day life, along with some very witty word play. Perfect listening for a wet sunday afternoon at home.

Though the material and performances are top notch - I have rarely enjoyed a CD more - I have to knock a star off for the rather strange editing by EMI. Each song has a short monologue from Flanders to introduce it, but instead of having the intro and song on the same track, the intros are all tacked onto the end of the previous song. THis means you have to listen to all the tracks in order to get the intros and tracks in the right order, and can't just listen to the odd track in isolation, or the whole thing won't make much sense.

So all in all, classic material which anyone will enjoy, let down by the CD editing.

Nostalgia at its best, 15 Dec 2004
I only bought this album for a couple of tracks, but, having played it all I love it all!!!

The quality of some of the tracks hints at the age of the recordings, but what can you expect?

A brilliant album!

Most delightful entertainment., 06 Mar 2000
I remember being introduced to "At the Drop of a Hat" while in college in the mid 60's. The songs where original and humorous with a touch of social satire. To this day I still remember words to many of them. Being a horn player I loved their rendition of the Rondo from Mozart's Horn Concert #4 that they entitled "Ill Wind." Actually I believe this tune was on their album "At the Drop of Another Hat." When I learned it had been re-released, I knew I had to get the CD. I know I'll be entertained just as I was over 30 years ago with songs and wit that is timeless.

Delightful indeed., 14 Jan 2000
This recording comprises 19 selections (plus two intros) taken from the three CDs available as a boxed set. Nine of Hat's 17 selections, nine of Another Hat's 17, and only one of Bestiary's 25. (Several of the omitted items from the two Hat albums include spoken pieces by Flanders, and pieces played and sung by Swann alone.) Purchasing this album will get you the most good F&S for your money, particularly if you have a special interest in just one of the selections -- every hornist aware of its existence wants his/her own copy of "Ill Wind." But if you want a gem like "Los Olivados" you must still buy the set. Many of the omitted selections are quite good, and EMI would have done better to have simply offered Another Hat for sale separately. EMI has also failed us on a second count. As with the three complete albums, the tracks on this CD are separated so that Michael's prefatory remarks for a song appear at the end of the prior track, rather than at the beginning of the track to which they pertain, so one is unable to program a meaningful selection of tracks to be played, or to simply call up "Ill Wind" or "Song of Patriotic Prejudice" and hear the entire "bit" without pressing the fast-reverse button.

A world of aural innovation and invention , 21 Nov 2008
Okay I'll get it out of the way early. Without doubt the most famous piece of music to emanate from the BBC,s Radiophonic workshop is the theme tune to Dr Who ( I still have this on 7" vinyl )- a serious contender for the best TV theme tune ever written ( now there's a debate) .It still sounds brilliant to this day , quirky , slightly spooky and alien yet memorable and quite catchy . Its on here in it's original form ( the new Dr Who theme has been updated with portentous strings ). It is however only a smidgeon of the output from the revered workshop .
This is a chronologically ordered compilation covering the output of the workshop from 1958 to 1997 before some dunderhead at the BBC( John Birt in a move that meant every BBC department that couldn't cover its costs had to be axed. The workshop was given five years to break even but due to it's high running costs- it needed engineers as well as composers - failed) decided to terminate( or exterminate it to use a more apt parlance) it so they could pay Chris Moyle's his inflated salary or some other such buffoonery . The double-disc collection is produced by Mark Ayres, surely the world's leading authority on the Radiophonic Workshop, having been a BBC composer and eventual archivist for the now sadly defunct department.
The earlier material from the likes of Delia Derbyshire is truly startling , almost avant garde in it's scope and compositional wizardry . "Talk Out" from 1964 is an extraordinary perspicacious piece of rhythmic music that even today might raise an eyebrow or two. I was especially pleased at the inclusion of Desmond Briscoe's music for the superb "Quatermass And The Pit [1967]" which still sounds eerie sinister and insidiously extraterrestrial.
As the years wore on the workshop came to rely more on standard electronic equipment and lost a little of it's singular sonic inventiveness.. The particular resourcefulness that saw people like Delia Derbyshire and Daphne Oram manipulate tapes and record strange natural or environmental sounds is sacrificed for a more sober less ingenious approach Some of the later material is a little rote and one or two are truly awful but others like the theme From Demon Headmaster, The - Look Into My Eyes and the stuff from "Blake's 7 - Series 1 - Complete [1978] " "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy [1981] " and Salem's Lot" not to mention the abbreviated little soundcsapes from programmes such as "The BBC Natural World Collection" and The Living Planet [1983] " are truly evocative .Miniature aural nuggets of magic.
Back to Dr Who then. The sound of the Tardis de-materialising or indeed materialising ( included here) was made by Brian Hodgson running his keys along the rusty bass strings of a broken piano, with the recording slowed down to make an even lower sound. Genius. No surprise then to learn that George Martin ,another technical studio whiz assisted Maddalena Fagandini with "Time Beat" which is also included here.
How many artists have been influenced by the Work Of The Radiophonic workshop? ....Well I don't know ..who do you think I am? Yet I'm willing to bet my Friday lunchtime treat that a great many influential innovative artists around today owe something to the work of a collection of what were in effect boffins and producers.


About time!, 08 Nov 2008
This is a brilliant album, and long, long overdue. It showcases the work of the much-missed BBC Radiophonic Workshop between 1958 and 1997, including music from "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy", Radio 4's "PM" news programme, "The Demon Headmaster", the BBC's Natural World programmes and many others. I was particularly pleased to see the inclusion of Peter Howell's "The Astronauts".

Most of the album is essentially a CD re-issue of two BBC Radiophonic Workshop LPs: "21" and "Soundhouse", released in 1979 and 1983, but also contains some gems that have never before been released.

Of course, the collection contains perhaps the workshop's most famous recording - the theme from Dr Who, and the Tardis sound effect.

Along with the two recent CD collections of music by John Baker, this is a much welcomed addition to the slowly growing collection of music by the workshop issued on CD. It's taken an unbelievably long time, but at last, the full scope of the Radiophonic Workshop's composers' work is gradually getting the recognition it so richly deserves.

Sadly, as the progress in technology marched on, the BBC, in its "wisdom", decided that it could buy mass-produced "electronic music" more cheaply that the workshop could produce it, so in 1997 they closed the workshop for good, and in doing so lost the creativity and talent evident in so much of the work produced by the workshop over its life.

As the saying goes - "they don't make 'em like that any more".

Hopefully more albums are on the way...

BEST TALKING BOOK EVER, 31 Jan 2008
At once i loved this Talkingbook It was a brilliant find and i really loved it

Disappointing, 09 Nov 2006
I was so disappointed by this audio CD. The actor has a voice similar to Julian Clary and mispronounces some of the characters names! It could have been done a lot better.
Graphically gruesome in places, my rising 6 year old had nightmares. The Greek Myths are much loved in our house. We have books and audio books and this is the first disappointment.

Keeps the kids happy on long car journeys, 02 Aug 2006
We purchased this CD on the basis of another Amazon review and weren't disappointed. Ths kids (aged 8 & 6) love the stories (Heracles, Theseus, Perseus, Jason and the Argonauts among others) and the CD is requested on every car journey! It's a painless way of getting a bit of knowledge/history into us all. The stories are re-told in modern language with some music thrown in for effect at key points, which all adds to the effect. The narrator has a pleasant voice (important when these CDs are played repeatedly!) and even though we all know the stories backward now, enjoy them still.

It's business time!, 22 Aug 2008
What a little gem this is. I can't believe this passed me by (well it was on the radio so that's probably why). This is probably better than anything I have seen on TV for the last couple of years. I must admit that I haven't seen the HBO TV series and I'm not sure if I really want to because this is so good that I don't want to be disappointed.

For those of you who don't know, Flight of the Conchords are a real band, they even have an album out on the sub pop label. Though this radio series is a fictitious account of their attempt to break into the UK scene. They are described as a novelty band and indeed their songs are very funny but the music is still good as well. The only thing I can compare them to are Tenacious D but then they aren't really like that. They are less blue and their style is less rock more pop and hip hop, and their lyrics are also a lot more clever. The actual style of the radio show is a bit like the Office US, with a lot of the comedy coming from Brian the band's manager and his unsuccessful attempts at everything.

I have to disagree with the reviewer who said that the performance of the British comedians in this show was poor. Daniel Kitson (Phoenix Nights) puts in a great performance in the York episode and there is also a good cameo from Andy Parsons (Mock the Week) as a music venue owner. Though to be honest these parts are quite small and most of the air time is dedicated to the Conchords and their manager. Rob Brydon is also fantastic as the narrator, which is something that the HBO series won't have. Some episodes are funnier than others though and that's why I haven't given this five stars. The York episode and the Pie episode though are probably two of my favorite comedy episodes of all time. You really do have to hear this

very disappointing, the songs get short shrift, 04 Dec 2007
Although this is worth a listen for diehard Conchord fans, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone else. A big part of the appeal of their HBO show, as well as the concert clips I've seen, is the contrast between Bret and Jemaine's dead-pan "normal" personalities, and their exuberant and fanciful songs. Since a radio show obviously has no visual component, you'd at least expect performances of the songs to be front and center, but it's not the case. The songs are rarely if ever presented complete and uninterrupted, often stepped on by Rob Brydon's otherwise decent narration, or fade